


may your days be merry and bright

by madhearted



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen, M/M, i don't even know????????, i feel like it's borderline crack, in which apollo cabin adopts nico di angelo, it's all stupid happy stuff, what even
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2016-12-21
Packaged: 2018-09-09 23:05:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8916589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madhearted/pseuds/madhearted
Summary: “Well, you don’t have to be alone during Christmas anymore. I mean, you’ll have... us.” (in which Nico spends the holidays at Camp Half-Blood, and is roped into Apollo cabin shenanigans.)





	

It was Connor Stoll’s turn for cabin inspection that morning.

It wasn’t a problem, not for Nico, really. He got along with the younger Stoll just fine—he was probably one of the few people he got along with when he first arrived at Camp. Nico wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, but Connor was one of the few people he considered friends.  But Connor tended to be annoying at times, but even more so, now that his older brother Travis left camp (“With his stupid girlfriend Katie!” Connor had complained) at the end of summer that year.

But Nico just wasn’t in the mood to deal with Connor, or any other human being, really. Nico di Angelo, mornings and human interaction simply didn’t mix.

“Rise and shine, sunshine!” Connor yelled, grinning as he opened Hades cabin’s door with a bang. Sunlight came pouring through inside and Nico groaned.

“Wrong cabin, asshole,” he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut. He buried himself beneath the sheets, turning away from Connor.

Connor paid him no attention. He walked over to him and pulled the sheets away. “I thought you’re a morning person now? Anyway, breakfast’s in ten minutes, sunshine! And you gotta clean up your cabin… or your bed, really.” He scribbled a few things on his clipboard. “And why haven’t you decorated your cabin yet? Honestly!”

It was too early for Nico to deal with this crap.

(This was why he liked Travis better, especially in the mornings—he was less chatty and wasn’t as annoying.)

He sat up on his bed, grumbling as he wiped all the sleep from his eyes. He glared at Connor. “Stop calling me ‘sunshine,’” he snapped. “And what if I don’t want to decorate my cabin?”

“Don’t be such a grinch, sunshine!” Connor just gave him A Look and shrugged. “It’s totally cool if you don’t celebrate though. Anyway, there’s not much to inspect in your cabin, so I’ll be off now! Don’t be late for breakfast, sunshine!”

“I told you to stop calling me ‘sunshine,’ Stoll!” Nico yelled as Connor jogged out of his cabin.

Connor turned back to look at him with a smug grin, giving him a two-fingered salute as he went away.

Nico rolled his eyes and got up from his bed.

So, Christmases were a huge deal in Camp Half-Blood. It’s not like he knew—he hadn’t stayed long enough to know the kind of stuff the demigods did here, especially the year-rounders. It made sense that they’d hold onto mortal traditions like Christmas, he supposed. Doing nothing but demigod-related crap all year long would drive him mad. It’s not so bad. He could vaguely remember the Hermes cabin decorated with wreaths and Christmas lights the first time he was brought here.

Besides, it’s not like he had anything to decorate with. And even if he did, they’d probably make it look like he was celebrating Halloween and not Christmas. The thought made him snort.

As he went out to head to the mess hall for breakfast, he passed by the other cabins. He saw some demigods hanging up tinsels, wreaths and other ornaments. Most, if not all cabins, were decorated. From the windows, he could see that the children of Hermes had put up small Christmas tree in the middle of their cabin. Hecate’s cabin had wreaths with glowing ornaments on their door. Even Demeter cabin’s grass roof was decorated with poinsettias and figures of reindeers and elves.

Someone had yelled, “Merry Christmas, man!” but he wasn’t sure if it was directed to him.

Well, “‘tis the season to be jolly,” after all.

 

  


* * *

 

  


Even the mess hall wasn’t free from the holiday spirit. Even from a distance, Nico could see the Greek columns decorated to look like candy canes, with its red and white stripes. Nico didn’t know how that was accomplished, nor did he even want to know. As he got closer, he could see that beneath the torches that hung on the columns were small wreaths, with ribbons and small bells.

(It was cute, not that he’d admit out loud. He had a reputation to keep.)

When he arrived at the mess hall, Will was waving him over to sit with his siblings. (“Doctor’s note, remember?” Will had said smugly, the first time.)  He trudged over and sat on the space beside Will, slumping as he buried his head in his arms.

“You look more dead than you usually do, di Angelo,” Austin remarked as he took a sip from his goblet. “Like a—” He scrunched his nose. “A zombie.”

Will looked pointedly at his brother. “Austin, can you _not?_ ” he hissed. He nudged Nico on the side with his elbow. “Here—we all know you can’t survive without your daily dose of caffeine.”

Nico took the goblet gratefully from Will’s hands and took a sip. _Black coffee_ , he mused. Just like his soul, maybe? He almost snorted. His eyes met Will’s, his blue eyes wide with worry as Nico took another sip. He shrugged his shoulders noncommittally.

“You should eat,” Will stated, glancing at Nico before eating a spoonful of his cereal. He continued, “You know, _doctor’s orders._ ”

Some of the Apollo kids started snickering—Nico was so used to it to be even embarrassed. He turned to look at Will to see if he was joking but Will said it _unironically._ (Sometimes Nico wondered why was he even friends with idiot.)

“Whatever you say, _doc,_ ” Nico said, the corner of his lip twitching as he grabbed an apple and took a bite.

Will eyed Nico’s apple. “You’re supposed to eat _more,_ ” he huffed. “You’re still too thin.”

“And you worry too much,” Nico muttered in reply. But it was… _nice_ , really, to have Will looking after him. (Not that he’d admit that—there’s lots of things he’d rather not admit.)

“So, zombie, what’re your plans for Christmas?” Louis, a younger Apollo kid asked him, but since he was munching on his bread, it came out as “Sho mhmbee, wha arwerpans fow Chwishmash?”

Nico stared at him blankly as Will hissed a “Don’t talk when your mouth is full, Louis!”

Kayla, who sat across Nico leaned closer to the table and narrowed her eyes at him. “You haven’t even decorated…” She gasped. “You haven’t, _have you?_ ” When Nico glared at her, she raised her hands in surrender and said, “ _Chill,_ zombie. It’s totes okay if—”

“You can stay with us,” Will suddenly blurted out. Everyone in the table turned to look at him and his cheeks flushed. Nico could feel himself grow warmer. “I—uh—I mean, if you don’t mind—well, I’m sure Chiron would allow you, I mean, we _do_ have some more room and I’d rather you not be alone an—”

“Brother,” Kayla interrupted, her eyes glinting with amusement, “you’re rambling.”

If it was possible, Will’s face got more _redder._ He glared at her and stopped talking, not trusting himself to say a word.

Nico was quiet too, sipping his coffee quietly as he tried to ignore the warm feelings in his chest.

“Whatever,” he muttered. His eyes briefly met Will’s and he shrugged.

 

  


* * *

 

  


On the day of Christmas Eve, Nico spent most of his day in his cabin. He slept until afternoon, until he woke to the sound of someone pounding on the door. He opened to see Will who immediately greeted him with a “Hi!” and dragged him to the Apollo cabin, despite his protests and ten minutes of arguing. (“My sister, Alice insisted, Death Boy, and I couldn’t say no,” Will persisted, “and besides, you were gonna come anyway!”)

So here he was, inside the Apollo cabin.

The moment he came in with Will, his younger siblings practically attacked him, begging him to put an ornament on their small Christmas tree—it was a fake tree, a foot high with decorations all over—“because it’s tradition!”

“Aw Neeks, I even made you your ornament!” Erica exclaimed, holding up a white Christmas ball, designed to look like a skull. “It’s all I could come up with on a short notice, but whatever! There’s always next year!” Her eyes were gleaming and she was bouncing with excitement. “C’mon, go put it in the tree!”

(Stupid Apollo kids and their stupid, blue, puppy dog eyes. They were ruining his reputation, _gods damn it._ )

Then, they all sat in a circle in the middle of the cabin.

“We’re gonna drink hot cocoa,” Kayla explained, as mugs filled with hot cocoa (“With marshmallows!” Austin added gleefully) were passed around, “and then, we’re gonna practice our Christmas songsfor tomorrow’s campfire sing along.”

Nico glanced at Will, who sat beside him, and snickered. “Like that would go well,” he muttered softly so only Will could hear.

“Shut up, di Angelo.”

“Oooh, zombie, do you know any Christmas songs in Italian?” Louis asked excitedly.

“I don’t sing,” Nico grumbled, frowning at Louis.

Louis pouted. “You didn’t exactly answer the question.”

Nico smirked at him. “Nope!”

Alice and Louis started chanting, “Sing! Sing! Sing!” but Nico just shook his head.

“You’re no fun!” Louis complained.

“Alright, you guys,” Austin cut in. He looked at everyone pointedly. “Settle down. Let’s get started, shall we? In one, two, one, two, three…”

 _“Come, they told me, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum…”_ Kayla started, her voice light yet clear. Line by line, almost everyone joined in, their voices harmonizing with each other, ringing throughout the room.

Listening to children of Apollo sing never failed to send shivers down Nico’s spine, no matter how many times he’s been dragged (by Will) to come and stay for the camp fire. It was beautiful, how the different timbres of their voices blended together, how all of them looked _so_ into their singing, with Erica and her eyes closed, with Louis swaying to the music. Even Will was nodding his head, mouthing the lyrics as his sibling sang.

_“Me and my… drum…”_

Their last note hung in the air, until someone bursted in with “Time to turn this up!”

And they suddenly they all broke into some kind of hiphop version of ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ and Will was beatboxing.

(Will _godsdamn_ Solace. _Beatboxing_.)

(Nico almost lost it.)

(Who was he kidding—he did.)

Their joy carried on until dinner, and maybe it was the holiday spirit, Nico wasn’t sure, but the laughter and chatter inside the dining pavilion seemed louder than usual, the air buzzing with more energy.

Nico eats his barbeque quietly, sandwiched between Kayla and Alice—they insisted, especially Alice, who had exclaimed, “Shoo, Will! I call dibs on sitting next to Nico this time!” when they reached the mess hall. He didn’t even know why Alice would want to sit next to him, but he didn’t mind. It was heart-warming, really, as Alice rambled to him about a small accident during arts and crafts earlier. He pretended not to notice Louis, who thought he was being sneaky he took a few slices of potato from Nico’s plate.

(He refused to admit it, but he was touched that the young daughter of Apollo would even want to spend more time in his presence.)

(It was all so overwhelming and he could feel his chest tighten and he’s filled with nothing but emotions and oh gods, these are all so good to be true, there are people who actually want him around, _is this even real?_ )

Will was sitting across him, listening attentively to his siblings’ stories, laughing and grinning at all the right moments. He nudged Nico’s foot with his, and though he was smiling, he tilted his head slightly, giving Nico A Look— _’Are you okay?’_

Nico found himself giving him a small smile.

If it was possible, Will’s smile just got more _brighter_.

 

(Later, during camp fire, Nico thought they wouldn’t do the hiphop version of ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ and other Christmas carols they’ve been jamming to when they were in their cabin earlier.)

(He was wrong.)

(Will Solace beatboxing was officially the most ridiculous thing he has ever seen.)

(He couldn’t stop laughing whenever he thought about it, though.)

 

  


* * *

 

  


Because Nico refused to stay with them, Will insisted on walking him to his cabin, even if Nico was perfectly capable of doing it on his own, because “What if you trip or something? Or what if s-something or someone attacks you an— _stop laughing_ , di Angelo, this isn’t funny!”

“So, um, did you enjoy your night?” Will asked him when they reached his cabin. They stood by the door. He was looking down, rubbing the back of his neck. (A nervous tick, Nico has observed.) “I’m really sorry for my siblings, they can be too much sometimes, and I just—”

“Solace.”

“—so embarrassing sometimes, and I hope they didn’t ruin this for you bec—”

“ _Will._ ”

He immediately stopped rambling and peered at Nico nervously.

“It was… I had a great time,” Nico finally said after a few moments, the corner of his lips quirking a little. Watching Will ramble was too amusing.

Will practically glowed at him. “That’s great! Glad you did.” He pursed his lips, shifted nervously on his feet. “You might find it hard to believe, Death Boy, but… I— _We_ like spending time with you. Y’know, when you’re not being such a sourpuss all the time.”

“If you say so.”

“Why would I lie to you?” Will asked, but Nico didn’t answer. They were both quiet for a few moments.

“I… It’s been awhile since I last, um, celebrated Christmas,” Nico admitted quietly. He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to look at anywhere but the boy in front of him.

“O- _Oh._ ”

Nico shrugged and turned away. He didn’t need Will’s pity, nor did he want to see the sad, kicked-puppy looks that Will is probably giving him.

(He tried not to remember _before_ , when there was still Bianca and his mother, with laughter and joy and greetings of “buon natale!” or the last Christmases he spent aimlessly wandering, cold and lonely, eating Happy Meals at cemeteries and miserably listening to carols from outside the church.)

“Well, you don’t have to be alone during Christmas anymore,” Will murmured. Nico glanced at him briefly and Will was smiling softly at him. “I mean, you’ll have... us.”

“...Thanks, I guess,” Nico replied quietly.

(He hoped that it was too dark because he was sure that his cheeks are flushed, and he was once again filled with so much emotion that he could barely breathe, _stupid Will Solace,_ why is he such a sap, _oh my gods._ )

“Well then.” Will exhaled a breath. He grinned as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Good night, Nico. And… Merry Christmas!”

“Good night, Will.” He turned the doorknob of his cabin, and glanced at him briefly, trying to hide his smile. Before entering, he quietly added, “Merry Christmas.”

 

**fin.**

**Author's Note:**

> i haven’t written a fic in like 3597984753 years oh god This Got Out Of Hand™ it was only supposed to be a short cute, happy oneshot but look what it turned into dfsdsdfjfs i haven't even edited yet i have no excuses & also:
> 
> 1\. THIS FIC STARTS WITH CONNOR STOLL BECAUSE I LOVE HIM W ALL MY HEART and i just had to sneak in other demigods ok they need more love love love (also he calls nico sunshine bc everyone in chb ships solangelo. Facts Only)  
> 2\. this probably doesn’t even fit in w the timeline with like post-boo and toa and everything because WHATEVER I DON’T EVEN KNOW ANYMORE  
> 3\. i feel like this is ooc I DON’T KNOW FAM i gotta reread pjo & toa again oh my god  
> 4\. idk how to write cutesy romance shit  
> 5\. this was supposed to be 100% happy idk what went wrong why there were like 5% angst bye  
> 6\. abusing parentheses r my fav thing  
> 7\. headcanon that apollo cabin totes adopts nico esp when will becomes too obvious w his feelings F I G H T M E  
> 8\. will isn't a good singer but he can beatbox LET ME HAVE THIS LET ME LIVE CAN U JUST IMAGINE
> 
> anyway, i hope you all enjoyed it! tell me what you think—kudos, comments, reactions, suggestions, critiques, whatever, etc.
> 
> and happy holidays to you guys!


End file.
